The Return: 11 Years Later
The Return: 11 Years Later is return episode of Will & Grace. It is the 1st episode of the ninth season and 186th overall. Synopsis Recap on the Past 11 Years The scene opens in Will's apartment with Will and Grace playing Heads Up with Jack and Karen. After their turn is over they signal to Jack and Karen that it is their turn, but Karen is day dreaming and Jack is looking on Grindr. Jack, trying to wake his partner up, shakes a bottle of pills in her face. She snaps back to life and informs the group that she had the craziest dream. Will was there, Grace was there, but Jack wasn't. Karen tells them that Will was living with a man in uniform, and Grace was married to a Jew Doctor. The pair tells her that they were, but that they are both single now. Karen then asks them what happened to the children they had that grew up and got married to each other, which Will replies to with a definitive "that never happened". Will and Grace also reveal that they are temporarily living together while the dust settles on Grace's divorce. Panic'd, Karen stands up and asks the group what happened to Stan and if she was still rich - the answer being that Stan is alive and that Karen does still have money. Jack, making eye contact with the audience, asks "got it?". The Congressman Will is writing an angry letter to a Congressman who is gutting the EPA. Curious, Grace takes a look at his profile and remarks that he is handsome, but evil. While talking about ways to do things that are high impact, but with low effort, Grace gets a voicemail from Karen telling her that she had a conversation with Milania Trump that she has to chat with Grace about it. Ready to put her foot down with Karen's behavior over the election, Grace leaves for work feeling inspired. Jack comes into the apartment and sees that Will has a glow about him and asks who the guy is. Will, tells him that he's writing a letter to a congressman, but that they are totally flirting and he hasn't told Grace about it. He laments that they won't ever meet anyway, which makes Jack spring into action finding a speaking event and booking a train down to Washington D.C. Will and Jack arrive in the Rose garden for the Congressman's talk. WIll has no idea how Jack managed to get them there, which Jack informs him he has connections in the Secret Service. In disbelief, Will goes back and forth with Jack until a Secret Service agent (Lenny) walks up and starts hitting on Jack. It's after that moment that the Congressman calls out to Will and they meet in person for the first time. Their meeting is very flirty. Congressman Steve Sandoval calls Page over and tells her to take Will on a tour of the West Wing. After parting with the Congressman, Page let's Will know that there is someone in the Oval Office redecorating, so to just be aware. Will turns to follow her inside and sees Grace in the window. They lock eyes. Jack is chatting with Lenny in the White House about life and what they've been up to. Jack, catching Lenny up, demands that he not mention the one man show that Jack had since it's dead to him. He talks about the ego he must have had to put his own name in the title and shuffles through the businesses that he's created that all contain his name....except for the last one. Back at the apartment Will and Grace talk and admit that they both didn't want the other to think less of them. Will tells her to stay for as long as she wants. Decorating the Oval Office Grace arrives at work and is greeted by Tony, a new employee at GAD. She asks him if he's ever been offended by Karen, which he doesn't want to outwardly admit, but eventually says she does not. Karen arrives and Grace has talks to her about keeping politics out of the office. It's immediately after that moment that Karen mentions that Grace will be redecorating the oval office. Not wanting to show her enthusiasm, Grace pretends that she is uninterested, but at the mention of the train departure time, assures Karen that she will be there early. Grace and Karen are in the Oval Office, with Grace discussing how the great minds of the country have sat behind that desk. She then peeks inside the keepsake box sitting on top of the desk and notes a Russian dictionary and a fidget spinner. Karen recounts the first time she was in the office, mentioning that her and Nancy were chasing Ronnie around the desk. They get to work and start planning curtain color, Grace bringing out a bag of Cheetos to make sure that the skin tone of the president goes well with whatever they pick. Grace is looking out the window at the Rose Garden and asks the butler what is happening out there. He informs her that it is an energy caucus that Congressman Sandoval is about to address. Grace, remembering the name, mentions to Karen how awful the guy is. She starts to feel a little skeevy over what she is doing vs the resisting that Will must be doing at that moment....until she looks out the window and sees Will getting chummy with the Congressman. Will walks into the Oval Office and faces off with Grace. Both want to know what the other is doing and figure out they both had their own selfish reasons for being there. Will tells her that he can't deal with her crazy again and that if she is so unhappy then she should move out. They have a pillow fight in the Oval Office. During the Credits The next morning the gang is hanging out in the apartment mentioning that they should just stick with what they all know and leave politics out of it. Karen laments that she cannot believe Grace blew the opportunity to decorate the Oval Office, but Grace says that she was able to make one, little, change. Cut to a hat on the president's chair that says "Make America Gay Again" Cast Main * Eric McCormack (Will Truman) * Debra Messing (Grace Adler) * Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland) * Megan Mullally (Karen Walker) Guest * Kyle Bornheimer (Lenny) * Eddie Matos (Congressman Steve Sandoval) * Kate Micucci (Page) * Anthony Ramos (Tony) Media Notes Eddie Matos's character shares his name with Will & Grace producer, Steve Sandoval Will asks Grace, "who are you? Mrs. Peacock in Clue?" A reference to Eileen Brennan, who played Mrs. Peacock in the Clue movie and Jack's acting coach, Zandra, in the original series. Cultural references Quotes Category:Episodes Category:Season 9